How can people from different cultures get along?
Timestamp: 21:30-22:25
Video Link:Â https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jj8vne0ca0&t=2s
My So-Called Enemy:Â https://mysocalledenemy.com/
Globalization, defined as the increased interconnectedness between countries and people, has brought individuals from different cultures together like never before. Differences in values, beliefs, and traditions have resulted in conflicts between many groups of people. While at times the various tensions and violent clashes around the world seem like chaos for the sake of chaos, if we work to understand them on a deeper level, we can work towards stability and peace. The textbook Intercultural Communications in Context 7th ed., written by Judith Martin and Thomas Nakayama, talks about the various ways we should work through conflict with people who may be very different than us, in order to get along. The book states, âTo recognize and embrace our connectedness...we have to engage in true dialogue.â âA focus on mutual listening, instead of talking, forms the core of successful intercultural dialogueâ. Through the âsharing of narrativesâ, we expand our perceptions and how we see the world.Â
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one that has been going on for decades between the Israeli and Palestinian populations that inhabit the lands of Israel, the Gaza strip, and the West Bank. It is an immensely complex issue; both sides fight for international recognition, security, control of Jerusalem, religion, nationality, water and land rights, and a plethora of other issues. The documentary film âMy So-Called Enemyâ, directed by Lisa Gossels, follows a group of Palestinian and Israeli girls who, over the span of seven years, talk about their political and cultural differences while trying to find a common ground, and navigate a complex situation back home after becoming friends with their âenemyâ. The girls take part in a womenâs leadership program called Building Bridges for Peace, founded by Melodye Feldman. The film is an eye-opening look into the conflict. Even though the girls live close to one another geographically, they have never had an open dialogue with one another, nor had they interacted with one another outside the context of the conflict. They never had the chance to discover their commonalities among one another in a peaceful environment through normal interactions. But the program allowed them to understand the conflict in a different light by putting them face to face with each other, allowing them to see each other as real humans with real feelings. Inas, a Palestinian girl in the program, says, âWhen I see the Jewish girls as individuals, I love them and all of them are my friends. We talk every day and read together. We dance together and we see the movies together. But, when I remember that they are Jewish, I have my feelings at the same time because their people killed my fatherâ. She has a deep personal connection to the conflict because of the death of her father, but participating in the program allowed her to understand that she cannot demonize everyone on the âother sideâ because they are caught in the conflict just like her.Â
Rezan is another girl who shows a deeper understanding of the conflict which allows her to get along with other cultures. She says, âIt is not their fault that they are Israelis and it is not my fault that I am a Palestinian. The borders are setting us apart.â Sometimes the cultural divide simply seems too huge. Sometimes there are grievances perpetrated by one cultural group upon another or by one individual on another that are so brutal as to make solutions sound hollow and idealistic. (pg.501) A way for people from different cultures to get along is forgiveness, which promotes understanding and reconciliation. Although forgiveness is difficult to achieve, it is a way to move past violence and persecution in order to bring about a more peaceful future. Being able to build a relationship and forgive an âenemyâ is one of the most powerful tools in overcoming conflict and getting along with people who are different than yourself.Â
One of the major themes that the documentary touches on is empowering women to be leaders. Building Bridges' founder Melodye says, âIf peace is going to happen in the Middle East, women have to be part of the process. Women have a different way of communicating. At Building Bridges, we are teaching our girls how to be leaders in communities that donât give equal voice to women. So, the question becomes, how do we empower them to change the world?â. This sheds light on the vital role of women in the peace-making process. Investing in gender equality is an important step in having people from different cultures get along because agencies all over the world, including the U.N., recognize that countries are more peaceful and prosperous when women have equal rights.Â















